


A-Ranks Can Do Whatever They Want, Maybe

by Deuterosis



Category: World Trigger (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Drinking, Gays Holding Hands, Holding Hands, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, International Fanworks Day 2021, M/M, Very Slightly Underage Drinking, mild biphobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:35:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28907205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deuterosis/pseuds/Deuterosis
Summary: Jin lost best of 100 matches.  Of course, Tachikawa now has to dare him.
Relationships: Jin Yuuichi/Tachikawa Kei
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15
Collections: Banned Together Bingo 2020





	A-Ranks Can Do Whatever They Want, Maybe

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I hope this qualifies for “Gays Holding Hands”, even though Jin is technically not gay. But as far as a censor and (as we'll see) way too many people would be concerned, Jin is gay no matter how bi he is or may be.
> 
> This was the “How do I spin something 500-words big” one of the three prompts that gave me the most trouble. In the end it wasn't so hard once I found my footing.

Unbeknownst to most, Jin and Tachikawa were always running off alone together. There were low-traffic spots in HQ that they more or less had to themselves, and in one they'd gathered today.

As he sometimes did, as he'd taken to doing, Tachikawa had brought a drink he fecklessly split with Jin, this time before their Solo matches. Jin had been skeptical once upon a time, but it did push the world away a little, pleasantly at that.

“Ha! What was the score this time?”

“Mmm........ 63 to 37.”

“You got all soft leaning on your Black Trigger, Jin.”

Speaking of leaning, before Jin knew it, Tachikawa had leaned over and flopped him on his side.

“Okay, now I have to dare you to do something....”

“No, please....” Jin was giggling like a crested loon.

“Hold my hand while we do a circuit around HQ!”

“Ha ha, what?”

“You knew I was gonna say it. Now c'mon, let's go.”

Indeed, Tachikawa grabbed and lifted him by the hand, and began dragging him out of their enclave towards Border's internal civilization.

Before they reached the border Jin tugged back, chuckling. “Wait, I'm really nervous.”

“Why? Who's gonna do what? You're the big future-see man. They need you.” Exactly what he had to say about drinking shortly before age 20.

Every now and then it was nice to leave the choices and the future to someone else. On days like these where nothing seemed imminent, he entrusted them to Tachikawa.

Now to hope that he's right....

* * *

After a short time, everyone noticed that Jin and Tachikawa were walking by together, joined like a pair of schoolgirls. Jin had muted flashes of fingers afly on phone screens or voices in the same, relaying the info to who-could-guess-whom at the moment. The news made the rounds faster than the subjects ever could at their pace, and sure enough, shortly in their circuit, people were already trying to look without obviously looking.

Everyone talked at least briefly. At the end of Tachikawa's arm, Jin had been worried about what this would do to people's opinion of the High-Demand Elite. Not everyone was a fan of Jin's and he knew it, but he still liked his average reputation to be above disapproval and disdain. Almost no one dated in Border, much less two men or women, so he didn't have a model for the shape of the impending gossip, and for who'd take this how.

The responses varied. Lots of surprise, of course, and what seemed to be dismay, but that could have been in his head. Most of it gave way to faces that seemed to say “A-Ranks can do what they want” or “Jin can do what he wants, I guess.” He did somewhat hear someone incredulously ask “Jin is a catcher?!” and the reply “Oh, well, that's actually to be expected, since it's Tachikawa.”

He kind of agreed. It was tough to see Tachikawa as a catcher.

Midorikawa leaned around a hallway wall with some of his squadmates, his face and eyes kaleidoscopes of hidden thought as he made room in his head for this new image of his hero. In the end he still grinned happily at Jin as he passed, something in his expression looking... freer.

Only one actually approached the two in anger, and Jin was actually quite sure it wasn't about what they're doing per se. Her complaint and thought process was almost obvious before she got there: “That's really Jin _with_ Tachikawa! What's he doing rubbing my ass if he's gay? Now I'm mad!”

He tried to resist the muddled desire to just bolt, especially since the grip holding his would not let him. Tachikawa greeted Kumagai cheerfully, as if nothing were new or different. “Hi, Kuma.”

“Yeah. Hey, Jin, what the hell is this?”

“My jacket sleeve.”

“You know that's not what I mean!”

“My hand's cold.”

Her expression changed when she caught a whiff of something.

“...Are you drunk?”

“Nope.”

Since Jin wasn't going to answer her, she turned to his pitcher. “Tachikawa, what???”

“I'm taking Gretel to the candy house.”

Her irritation had gone, replaced with Whateverness. Okay, they're both drunk. The world makes sense again.

“Okay, go about your business then.”

“Thank you for your kind permission.”

There were less expectable results as well: other guys in Border grabbing the hands of their nearby friends or kissing their cheeks for the fun of it, usually to complaints but almost never to escapes or anger. By the time Jin actually got interested in watching the myriad reactions, before he knew it, they were right back where they started, with all the scattered trash as they left it.

“See, that wasn't so bad, huh?”

“Oh, I don't know.”


End file.
